Series on James - Condemning Judgment Coming

 

Condemning Judgment Coming

James 5:1-6

Wealth has a strange effect on people, it can be beneficial to the needs of many or it can consume from within and without. Solomon who was probably one of the wealthiest men in the world wrote, “Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless” (Eccl. 5:10) 

James also saw the effects of wealth on the secular world and on the Christian church as well. Thus he brings four judgments from God against the unwise wealthy in the world and even in the church. So let’s read the first portion of the text,  “Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.”

James, just as Jesus, saw the disparity between the rich and the poor, and the hoarding of the wealth. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” “Then he said to them, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.'” “…The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’” “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” (Matt. 6:19-21; Luke 12:15, 16-21)

James took up where Jesus left off. For the church was also affected by the hoarding of possessions and wealth. James begins his pronouncement of judgment 

with the call of the rich to weep and wale because of the coming judgment in the last days. The last days were believed to be from the time of Christ’s ascension until His return. 

Many of the wealthy had greedily stored up their wealth and as Solomon said, “Whoever loves money never has enough…” James knew it was not wealth itself that was evil, but the love of money, and it was this love that became the god in their lives as Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” (Matt. 6:24)

James lists the effects and judgments on greed and hoarding: corruption, corrosion, rot, and fire. Each takes its totality on the material world of the amassed hoardings. Silver and gold do not corrode in the physical but metaphorically it will in the world of finance and life. It can destroy the life of the bearer as cancer or disease devastates the body, and deteriorates the spiritual consciousness of God altogether like corruption and rot. The wealthy, whether religious leader, landowner, or business person as described earlier in scripture needed to examine their lives, search their hearts, and repent of their greed and insatiable lust for money. For James was emphatic about the outcome of hoarding and the love of money (Luke 16:1-15). It will destroy them and lead them possibly to the fires of Hell (rich man and Lazarus parable). For many had seen value in richly designed clothes and they hoarded them, just as Jesus had spoken about and that they would rot, be eaten by moths, or stolen. 

Application - What can I say about the world today, it is entrenched with the desire for wealth, even to the point of lusting and loving for more money. As Solomon said, “It was meaningless and vanity” We do well to search deep into our lives; hearts and minds. Where are we in the depravity of the love for money, and the hoarding of wealth? We like to think it is a world problem not the churches, but let us open our eyes spiritually and examine our homes, our churches, and business affairs. Is the Lord using a letter from the first century to expose the sinful lifestyles of the twenty-first? 

Jesus said “we have the poor among us always” in connection to the use of the expensive aloe used to anoint his feet. For even among his disciples, hoarding of riches was exposed. 

Jesus isn’t telling us to shun wealth but to use it wisely and not to be enslaved to it. For the riches, wealth, and material world will all corrode, rot, cause corruption, and will lead to destruction by literal fire as well as eternal fire.  “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” (Matt. 6:24)

So who are we serving? Are we devoted to the American dream or to our Lord, His will, and our eternal home in Heaven. So let’s do as Jesus said and James warned against, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” ”But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you.” (Matt. 6:19-21,33 NIV)

Next, James hears the cry and plight of the working poor. So let’s read the next portion of the text, “Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.” James came from an agricultural home in Nazareth, a rural village off the beaten Roman roadway. He knew the difficulties of the harvesters whether in grain, vineyards, or groves. And when the oppressive wealthy landowner withheld wages the cries of the harvesters weren’t only heard by the home churches, but also by God. “You shall give him his wages on the same day, before the sun sets (for he is poor and counts on it, lest he cry against you to the Lord, and you be guilty of sin.”(Deut. 24:15 ESV)

James relays the second judgment upon the oppressive wealthy. The oppressive landowner was abusive, and committed outright fraud against the poor workers. God would bring judgment on the wealthy landowner for the sin he was guilty of and disobeying the law of loving his neighbor and withholding mercy.  “You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning.” “...but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. (Lev. 19:13,18b ESV)

Application - I would like to distinguish that there are two types of poor among us today, the working poor and the enabled poor. The former, labor in jobs that pay entry-level pay, and some have to work long hours or two jobs to make enough to live meagerly. The latter, they are usually in large groups protesting about inequality and the disparity of the economic world. I believe that God hears both, but answers only those who truly desire Him and His kingdom and not the kingdom of the flesh and its desires. God is not approving of mistreatment of the poor, but he sees the heart and mind, and truly knows their motivations. So seek Him first and His kingdom, and He will provide for your needs not your wants and worldly desires. For God sees everything. “The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.” “God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether it is good or whether it is evil” (Prov. 15:3; Eccl. 12:13-14 NIV)

Third, James expresses God's hate of self-indulgence. Let’s read the next portion of the text.

“You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.” James knew the scripture that told of the depravity and complacency from acquired wealth. “You lie on beds adorned with ivory and lounge on your couches. You dine on choice lambs and fattened calves. You strum away on your harps like David and improvise on musical instruments. You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest lotions…” (Amos 6:4-6a NIV)  and the vanity of wealth as experienced by Solomon, "After all his wealth and glory had been secured, he exclaimed, `Then I looked upon all the works that mine hands had wrought . . . and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun." (Eccl.2:11). For loving, lusting, and vast accumulation after wealth were leading them to vanity and eternal death without God. 

For it was known by James that the last days were days of darkness not of light but of slaughter. “Therefore this is what the Lord, the Lord God Almighty, says: “There will be wailing in all the streets and cries of anguish in every public square. The farmers will be summoned to weep and the mourners to wail. There will be wailing in all the vineyards, for I will pass through your midst,” says the Lord. Woe to you who long for the day of the Lord! Why do you long for the day of the Lord? That day will be darkness, not light. It will be as though a man fled from a lion only to meet a bear, as though he entered his house and rested his hand on the wall only to have a snake bite him. Will not the day of the Lord be darkness, not light—pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?” (Amos 5:16-20 NIV)

James pleaded and admonished the church as well as those in the world to serve the Lord their God and His  Son only. For all the things of the world that had consumed their lives and desires were fleeting impulses and cravings that were fattening them up just as animals for the slaughter in the last days.

Application - Living in luxury and in selfish-indulgence sounds like America and many parts of the world. The haves and the have nots. Ask any child or teen what they would like for Christmas and you may get a registry of toys and the latest trends.

And if you ask the adults, they too are hardwired to trends that indulge the flesh and gratifying the lust of self. But God isn’t into being the sugar-daddy. For the indulgence of the flesh are grievous sins. “But she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives.” “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” (1 Tim. 5:6; 6:10) Today we live in the dispensation of grace, but let not use God's grace to indulge in the gratifying desires of the flesh and sinful nature. For just as James stated to the early church before Paul’s letters, those who are entrenched in self-indulgence will find themselves being fattened for the slaughter in the last days. Instead we should be fixed on, hold to the things of God above (Col. 3:1-4): our Lord Jesus Christ and His kingdom in Heaven and to the soon appearance of His return. For these may be the very last days of the last days. So let us not be encumbered with the things and cares of this world. “…Let’s rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us,” (Heb. 12:1)  

Last, James denounces the capital crime of murder of the righteous and the innocent. Let’s read the last portion of the text, “You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.” 

James understood the teachings of Jesus as he opened the understanding of the law and scripture on murder, “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.” (Matt. 5:21-22)

He may have heard of or seen the death of Stephen in 36 CE, three years after the ascension of Jesus, and the death of James, son of Zebedee shortly before the writing of this letter to the churches. The innocent ones were those who did not oppose the accusers with physical or verbal threats but stood steadfast in their faith in Jesus Christ. James had mentioned that the rich had taken some to court earlier in the letter, and now the sentence for faith was condemnation and death, especially if the person was an ardent believer in Jesus. 

James knew the hatred of the religious world in Jerusalem and also of the political world in Jerusalem and Rome. For anyone who held fast to the teachings of Jesus were considered a threat and judged as having transgressed the Law. James himself would experience this in his own life later in life.

  Application - Murder any way you cut it is sin. God sees and knows our thoughts and words before we even speak. “Lord, you have examined me and know all about me. You know when I sit down and when I get up. You know my thoughts before I think them… Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely.” (Ps. 139:2,4)

From the first murder by Cain, God has condemned the act of murder (the selfish act of taking the life of an innocent person). And the death of Jesus, Stephen, and possibly James, brother of John as well as other believers not mentioned in scripture but remembered by God, was fresh on his mind. For the innocent (righteous) were considered blasphemers, because of their faith in Jesus, the Son of God. 

Now, in today’s world, murder is still a capital crime, but through the laws of sin-tainted man, some have escaped condemnation by men, but not by God. All who haven’t believed in Jesus and confessed their sins will be condemned at the great white throne judgment at the end of the age.    

And for the church, even the words that we choose for hate and anger will be held accountable. For the words of Jesus are still applicable today. As James taught us earlier, control the tongue and keep it from unleashing what is in the heart. Let us be holy and pure in our thoughts and words, for there will be trials as James said earlier that will test our faith and our hearts and minds. Let us hold steadfast to the Lord our God, Jesus Christ, and He will perfect us as pure gold through His grace. Amen

I’m again including the ABC’s of salvation for all those who have not yet received Jesus Christ for salvation. For Jesus, God the Son, came to this world to save all who would believe and trust in him. He desires to reveal himself to you, He is the Light that overcomes the darkness of this lawless world. He hears your prayers, and all authority in heaven and earth have been given to him. He will answer you if you will truly believe. If you haven’t asked him to be your Lord and Savior, today could be that day.

 First, A - Admit that you are a sinner. This is where that godly sorrow leads to genuine repentance for sinning against a righteous God and there is a change of heart, we change our mind and God changes our hearts and regenerates us from the inside out. Romans 3:10 - As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one." Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (We are all born sinners which is why we must be born spiritually in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven). Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The bad news is that the wages of sin is death, in other words our sin means that we have been given a death sentence, we have the death penalty hanging over our heads, that's the bad news. But here's the good news: The good news is that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ephesians 2:8-9 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Second,

 B - Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and that God raised Jesus from the dead. This is trusting with all of your heart that Jesus Christ is who he said he was. Romans 10:9-10 - That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Third, 

C - Call upon the name of the Lord. Every single person who ever lived since Adam will bend their knee and confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, the Lord of lords and the King of kings. Romans 14:11 - For it is written: "As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God." Don't wait until later — do this now. Romans 10:13 - For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." "O God, I am a sinner. I'm sorry for my sin. I want to turn from my sin. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son; I believe that He died on the cross for my sin and that He was buried and You raised Him to life. I have decided to place my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior, trusting only in His shed blood as sufficient to save my soul and to take me to heaven. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for saving me. Amen."

Please share this with someone this week, the Lord knows that we and they need it.

If you would like other lessons, please go to http://pmdinhisservice.blogspot.com 

Until next week, In His Service Mike Davis

I have revised my webpage on Spiritual warfare. Please give it a look. Thank you. http://uss-warfare3.webnode.com